The Ultimate Shortcut for a Speedy Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is a classic for good reason. It's comforting, hearty, and nutritious! Plus, it's easy to make at home with just a few basic ingredients: broth, chicken breast, noodles, vegetables, some butter or oil, and seasonings. For many, it's a go-to weeknight dinner that can be prepared in under an hour. But what if I told you there’s a quicker, even more flavorful way to make it? Let me show you how.

A common shortcut is replacing homemade broth with store-bought, and many people opt for rotisserie chicken instead of cooking and shredding it themselves. While this saves time, it sacrifices some flavor. The better alternative? Try using ground chicken.

Why Ground Chicken is the Secret to the Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I first learned this tip from *The New York Times* while making their 'Easiest Chicken Noodle Soup,' which comes together in just 30 minutes. In the recipe, Senior Staff Editor Alexa Weibel pointed out that rotisserie chicken doesn’t absorb flavors well, making it less ideal for soup. Ground chicken, on the other hand, creates a rich, flavorful base that really elevates the dish.

To prepare the recipe, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 pound of ground chicken and cook for a few minutes until it begins to crumble. Then, stir in garlic, coriander, and celery seed and cook for another 5 minutes, or until browned. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon, set aside (covered), and cook the vegetables, broth, and noodles. Afterward, return the chicken to the pot for a few minutes before serving. Simple and delicious.

At first, I was unsure about using ground chicken, but the results really surprised me. The soup was perfectly rich—without being overly heavy—and the depth of flavor was unlike anything I'd experienced in a typical chicken noodle soup. I also found that I preferred the texture of ground chicken over shredded, as it made the soup feel more cohesive. I even swapped in cavatelli instead of traditional egg noodles, which worked wonderfully.

How to Use Ground Chicken in Other Chicken Noodle Soup Variations

This trick works particularly well in other fast-cooking chicken noodle soups where you usually just add pre-cooked chicken at the end. Take Michelle Molina's Dinogo' Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup, for instance. Instead of shredding rotisserie chicken and adding it just before serving, you’d cook a pound of ground chicken as described earlier. While you don’t have to use the exact spices like coriander and celery seed, it’s definitely a flavorful combination worth trying.